A Very Merry Chanukah
by susan friedman
Summary: Nellie, Percival and the twins spend the first night of Chanukah with Percival's family in New York. Story complete. Thanks to Sarai and Louise for their comments.
1. Chapter 1

A Very Merry Chanukah

A Little House Fanfic

Nellie Oleson Dalton was putting the final touches on her little Christmas tree that she kept in her room every year since Mama Cohen came to live with them after Percival's father passed away. It was only right, she had helped his father, Benjamin, run Cohen's Dry Goods since it opened forty years ago, when Edna and Benjamin were engaged to be married.

It had begun as a small storefront on the first floor of a tenement apartment house, where Benjamin and Edna Cohen moved into a tiny railroad flat on the second floor. Benjamin opened the store and ran it, but behind the scenes it was Edna who kept the books and advised her husband what to buy. As the store grew and the family with it, first Naomi, then Isaac, the Cohen's bought a brownstone and were lucky enough to find a small empty building to move the merchandise into. After Benjamin's death in the late fall of 1886, Isaac had returned to New York from Wild West, with his own family. He was a little frightened at first and just wasn't used running the store by himself. At Nellie's insistence, Percival had asked his mother to come live with them and help him run the store.

Six years had passed since then and now, with Nellie helping out, the store had become a great success and they were one big happy family.

"Almost ready?" Percival ran into their bedroom on the third floor of the narrow brownstone. "We'll be starting soon. My mother and my sister are putting the finishing touches on the Chanukah dinner."

He kissed his wife of eight years on the lips. "We don't have much more to go and we'll probably be lighting the menorah soon."

"Isn't there something missing?" Percival asked, eyeing the empty top of the tree. "Like a little angel?"

"That angel is here somewhere," Nellie said, looking around for it. She had forgotten what she did with it.

"We have one right here," Percival smiled, picking up little Jennifer Dalton. She had blond hair and blue eyes.

"Papa," Jenny said, "I'm too old to be picked up. You should know that by that now."

Percival smiled and put her down. "Of course you are, Jenny. I forgot that you were seven years old." He put her down.

"I have it, Mama," Benjamin said, running out of his room.

"Thank you, Benny," Nellie said, bending down to kiss her son as she took the angel from him. "Now you straighten up your hat."

"Mama, Uncle David calls it a kippah," Benjamin replied and ran back to the mirror to adjust it. "And Mama, it's Ben, not Benny. You know that Grandma hates when you call me that. Besides, I'm not a baby anymore."

"You're right, my little man," Nellie said, as she placed the small angel on the tree. "Come on, let's go. Can't keep Grandma and your Aunt Naomi waiting."

It was the first night of Chanukah and the menorah was on the table. There were dreidels on the floor and presents piled high in the other room. Edna and her eldest daughter, Naomi were in the kitchen frying up the potato pancakes, or latkes, a popular dish for Chanukah. The four pound brisket was still in the oven waiting to be sliced and potato kugel or pudding to go with it. From the bakery were some doughnuts, challah bread and fudge.

Naomi's husband, David was sitting in the study reading when Percival, Nellie and the twins ran down the stairs.

"Uncle David, Uncle David," Ben ran and jumped up on David's lap, the book falling to the floor.

David smiled and hugged him from behind. "Hello, Benjamin," he answered, picking him up and putting him down on the floor as he stood up to greet his brother in law and his wife. Unlike Percival, David Feldman stood six feet high and was the tallest man in the family. He took hold of Benjamin's hand as he kissed Nellie on the cheek and pumped his brother in law's hand.

"Ah, there you are," he said kissing his sister and brother in law on the cheek.

"Always nice to be noticed," Nellie said, kissing her mostly absent brother in law on the cheek. It was safe to say that she only saw her brother and sister in law on holidays and she was glad that she did. David had a law practice around the corner from the store. They had been married for four years now, but no children, not yet anyway. She turned to her husband. "I'm going to check and see if Mama needs any help."

"Can I come help too, Mama?" Jenny asked, wanting to act grown up.

Nellie smiled and held out her hand. "Sure Jenny, Grandma would love it."

"Is it time to light the menorah yet?" Benjamin asked, as he picked it up from the table.

Percival smiled and bent down. "We will light the candles soon enough, right before we eat."

"So did you have fun today?" Uncle David asked little Ben as he placed him on his knee.

Little Benjamin nodded. "We walked over to Macy's Department Store and looked into their windows. They are all decorated for Christmas with trees and toys. Then we went upstairs to see Santa."

David looked at his brother in law. "Santa?"

Percival shrugged. "We're teaching the children different things about religion. They have a right to know what is out there, David. Now that Papa is gone, we changed the arrangement. The children will be allowed to choose when they grow up what religion they want to be."

"Papa says it's alright that we see Santa," Jenny said, running from the kitchen over to join her brother. "It will give us a sense of what Christmas is all about. She says we have the best of both worlds, whatever that means."

She turned to her uncle. "Dinner is almost ready," she announced.

"It's time to light the candles," Edna called out. There were two places to put the candle, the shamash or servant light in the center and another on the right side of the menorah.

They watched as David adjusted his own kippah and took the shamash from its holder in the center and, after lighting the candle, he recited the three blessings and then used that candle to light the one on the right.

"Do you know the Chanukah story, children?" David asked, getting up.

"I do," Benjamin said, raising his hand as if he were in school. "Papa says that there was a great miracle that happened that night."

David nodded his head. "Very good, Benjamin, a great miracle did happen. But do you know how and why?"

"He's only seven, David," Percival answered, but Benjamin stopped him.

"I know, Papa. Judah Maccabee and his brothers fought the Syrians for three years and drove them out of the temple. As they cleared the temple of the Greek gods that the Jewish people were forced to worship, they came across a small container of oil to light the eternal light. It was only supposed to last for one day, but a miracle happened and it lasted eight nights. That's why we light the candles, Uncle David." He smiled.

"Yes," he said, "Your are right, Benjamin. And do you know what the letters mean on the dreidel?" He handed him a small wooden one.

"Yes I do," Ben said, pointing to each letter as he spun the top around. "That is a nun, a gimmel, a hey and a shin. It means "a great miracle happened here, Uncle David."

David looked up Percival. "Did you teach him all this?"

Percival shrugged. "He's a quick learner, David."

"Jenny, Ben," Nellie said, placing the hot food on the table. "It's time to eat. You can play with the top later."

"Wait, one more thing," Percival said, taking two pennies out of his pocket. He bent down and handed one to Benjamin and one to Jennifer. "We call this Chanukah gelt or money. I will give these to you for eight nights until the holiday is over. On the last night, you get a surprise."

"Thank you, Papa," the twins said and hugged their father.

"Now," Percival said, releasing them and he stood up. "We can have that dinner now." And taking both by the hand, walked over to the table and sat down next to his wife, with his kids on either side.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When the meal was over and all the presents opened, Ben and Jenny were playing with their little wooden dreidels on the floor. Percival and David sat in study talking while Naomi and Nellie cleaned off the table and washed the dishes.

Edna had just finished putting some of the serving pieces into the big breakfront when she called the two children over.

"Benjamin, Jenny, come, look, I have something to show the both of you." Ben looked at Jenny who shrugged her shoulders.

"Come, come," Edna called, waving her hand to come closer. Ben nodded and stood up, with Jenny tagging along in the rear.

She was twirling a little silver dreidel in her hand. She waited until the twins reached her before she started to speak.

"This is a very special dreidel, children," she said, holding it up to the light. "It has been handed down in my family from generation to generation."

Benjamin watched as the dreidel as it caught the light and sparkled. "Can I hold it, Grandma," he asked holding out his hand, "please?"

Edna Cohen nodded and placed in the boy's outstretched fingers. "Here you go," she said.

"Where did it come from," Jenny asked. "Does anyone know?"

Edna shook her head. "No one seems to know, Jenny, but there is talk that it is very old."

Benjamin twirled it around in his hand. He had never seen anything more beautiful. "Can I play with it?" he asked, but his grandmother shook her head.

"No Benjamin, not now. But it will be yours soon enough and then you may decide what you want to do with it."

She held out her hand and Ben placed it in her palm. She put it back into the breakfront and closed the door.

"Ben, Jenny," the two children turned around at the sound of their mother's voice. "I want the two of you to go upstairs and play quietly in your rooms. Your father and I will follow very soon."

Benjamin and Jenny nodded. "Come on, you two" Nellie said, as the twins found their way upstairs.

Ben tried to sleep, but found that he couldn't. He kept thinking about the silver dreidel and how it had sparkled when Edna held it up to the light. It was so beautiful that he wanted to get another look at it. So he lit the candle in the holder by his bed and crept quietly downstairs. He placed the candle holder down on the on a small table and opened up the breakfront doors. It was easy for him to grab; Grandma had placed in on the first shelf, which was about his height.

He pulled it our and twirled it on his palm, looking at the intricate metalwork. The letters really seemed to stand out as it caught and held the light.

He heard what sounded like a door closing and ran, with the dreidel still in his hand, upstairs to his room. He placed it on the bed next to him, promising to himself that he would wake up early and put it back before it was missed.

But when he woke up Monday morning. the dreidel was gone. It was as if it had vanished into thin air.

In a panic, Benjamin searched the bed, tearing away the sheets. How long was it going to be before his grandmother would find it missing?

"Benjamin," Nellie called, "come on, eat your breakfast. Your sister's down here already. You're going to be late for school."

The last thing that Ben wanted was to go to school. He wanted to stay home and look for that dreidel. He wanted to find it before someone else did. He wanted to put it back in the breakfront before Grandma noticed that it was gone.

"Benjamin?" Nellie called again, when he didn't answer.

"I'll be down in a minute, Mama," he said, as he hurried into his school clothes.

All day long, he thought about nothing else than that beautiful silver dreidel. He couldn't concentrate on his studies and he was unusually quiet all day. He could hardly wait until he got home so he could look for it again.

But the dreidel never turned up. The funny thing was that everyone had seemed to forget about it. No one even noticed that it was gone, not even Edna. It was as if it had never existed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was the seventh and last night of Chanukah. Benjamin couldn't believe how quiet the entire week was. No one even noticed that the dreidel was gone, in fact, he was beginning to wonder if it all was a dream and it never really happened in the first place.

But he knew that it was missing because there was an empty spot in the dreidel's old place in the breakfront. In fact, he was sure of it.

Upset and tired, he climbed into bed. He hadn't told anyone what had happened and he was it was just as well.

He had just stretched out under the covers when he felt something by his left foot, something cold and pointy. He jumped out of bed and tore apart the blanket and sheets again, only he shook them, which he hadn't done the first time. He heard something heavy hit the floor and reached down to pick it up. Sure enough, there was the beautiful silver dreidel. It had been in tangled in the bed sheets all along. It was a miracle that he had found it and on the last night of Chanukah.

Quickly, he ran down to the breakfront, opened it, and put it back in its proper place, hoping that no one had noticed it had been missing the entire week.

Now he was looking forward to receiving his surprise from his father at Sunday breakfast this morning.

David and Naomi were spending the weekend at the brownstone to help out on the last morning of the holiday. There was a special breakfast planned with bagels and whitefish and homemade cream cheese.

"You do remember when we had this the first time?" Percival whispered in her ear as she put down the little bowl full of whipped cream cheese.

Nellie nodded. "Break fast after Yom Kippur. I just looked at it and said "You always eat this stuff?" She looked up at her husband who was smiling. His glasses were sliding down his nose and use his finger to slide them up again.

"We never had any of this stuff in Walnut Grove," she said, smiling up at him, "but it sure makes a nice change."

Percival smiled and kissed his wife on the lips. "Let's call the kids in."

"I think they're both still asleep," Nellie said. "By the way, Benjamin's been acting strange the entire week and he won't tell me anything."

"Do you think he'll talk to me?" Percival asked.

Nellie shrugged. "Why not? You two always talk to each other."

On his way upstairs, Percival passed by the breakfront and couldn't help but notice that the shiny silver dreidel had been returned to its proper place.

_Now how did that get back there, _he thought as his eyes got lost in that sparkle. Hadn't he done the same thing as a kid?

He could still remember his mother calling him over to her and showing him the dreidel. It has fascinated him so much that he had come downstairs that first night of Chanukah and took it back to bed with him. It had gotten lost for a whole week, but Percival finally found it on the eighth day. It has been buried under the covers, but he had to shake them before it finally fell on the floor. He had run down the stairs to return it to its proper place before anyone in the house had ever found that it was missing. But his mother knew all along where it had been, he had seen that twinkle in her eye. She had just never said anything.

"Papa, Papa, we're here," the two of them called, running down the stairs meeting his father halfway.

"I was just on my way upstairs to wake you two up," Percival said, bending down to hug them. "Come on, I have your surprises right here."

He stood up taking the two of them by the hand and walked over the table.

"The time has come to give you your surprises," he said, handing them each a piggy bank to place the eight cents in. This will teach you the value of money and how to hold onto it." He held up two small rectangular shaped boxes. "And these are from you grandmother. These will help you keep track of all your expenses, how much you earn and how much you save."

Jenny and Ben opened up the rectangular boxes and there inside was a beautiful fountain pen.

"Papa," they both cried in unison and ran over to hug him. "Say thank you to your grandmother, too," Percival said, release them. "Now go, we have a special breakfast prepared and it's getting late."

"Grandma, Grandma," they called out and ran over to her. She was sitting in her favorite chair by the fireplace, knitting. They thanked her over and over for their beautiful present. She showered them with kisses until Nellie called them over. "Jenny, Benjamin, come on, it's time to eat. Everything is ready."

"Benjamin," Edna called, "Can you stay here a minute? I need to talk to you about something important."

"Uh oh," Benjamin sighed and rushed back. "Yes Grandma," he asked.

"I see that the silver dreidel is back," Edna said, knitting another scarf. I couldn't imagine where it had gotten off to, but now that it's back, I just hope that it doesn't disappear again."

Benjamin's smile widened and hugged her. "It won't, Grandma. It won't ever disappear from the breakfront again."

"Benjamin," he heard his mother call again. "Coming, Mama," he said, breaking from his grandmother. He began to run over, but something made him turn around. And there was his grandmother looking straight at him, with a little twinkle in her eye.


End file.
